Of course I'll ignore the OP, as Pierce is averaging almost 19PPG and was at 21 two weeks ago, and had a legit shout at being an all-star.

He's not a 6th man.

He is not being relied upon too much. That's ridiculous. Much less KG. KG is being relied on for defense. Offensively, he's just a guy who doesn't suck. He doesn't attack the glass. I hardly see how he's got too much on his shoulders. He doesn't even play 30MPG.

The problem is that there are too many excuses made for this team. The problem is that the only one who has too much on his shoulders is Rajon Rondo.

It's one thing to ask a guy to carry a crappy team. It's something else to ask a guy to carry a team with as much depth as any team in the league, when he has two other great players -both of whom are leaders-, and when one of those great players is still one of the best players in basketball. You have Rondo covering holes that the team doesn't have. Other guys are not going to play up to par.

If it's all about Rondo, then trade Pierce for off-ball slashers, rebounders, and spot-up shooters. Trade Terry for a spot-up shooter. Keep Courtney Lee and learn how to create a rotation. Get rid of Barbosa, who doesn't play anyway. Just get a bunch of guys to play off of Rondo.